Budget 2024

Inside story: The billions needed to bail out departments after Budget 2024

Before government departments begin spending their money for next year, shortfalls or overspends from this year must be dealt with

The process has not been without criticism, and some opposition TDs have called for improved departmental budgetary oversight

As the dust settles on Budget 2024, which allocated more than €14 billion in spending across government departments, the small matter of supplementary estimates awaits.

These extra funding allocations at year-end cater for higher-than-anticipated spending in certain departments during 2023 beyond what was forecast in last year’s budget, and some measures announced as part of this year’s budget.

Effectively, before some departments begin spending their money for next year, these “budget bailouts” must first be ...